Make a #PodcastPlaylist that fits your personal style — and gets listeners excited
Note: As of November 2018, the easiest way to make a podcast playlist is through Podchaser’s podcast rating and review website and then take that playlist to go to listen on RadioPublic. Read more about our podcast playlist partnership.
Now that anyone can build a podcast playlist on RadioPublic, we’re discovering that there are a few distinct personality types that seem to like to share and recommend episodes. (Or… maybe it’s just that I enjoy categorizing and sorting things. And personality quizzes.)
As you get started with your own playlist, here’s a little inspiration based on your playlist personality. Which of these playlist personality types best describes you?
- The Teacher likes to set people on the right path.
- The News Hound needs to know what’s happening right now.
- The Specialist is always learning and going deeper.
- The Life Coach wants to live their best life.
- The Pop Culture SuperFan is the one you turn to for the scoop on entertainment, celebrities, and such.
- The Generalist embraces eclecticism.
- The Archivist wants to preserve the best stuff for posterity.
The Teacher
The number of people listening to podcasts is growing every year, which means there are a lot of people asking the question, “Where do I start?”
Teacher types can help by sharing their answers to that fundamental newbie question.
Answer these questions to build your Teacher playlist:
- What would you recommend to someone just starting out with podcasts?
- What’s your favourite episode of each show you listen to? Why?
- How might you introduce new listeners to the breadth and variety of shows available, without overwhelming them?
The News Hound
Many of us turn to podcasts for our daily dose of current events. News Hounds build playlists that round up the best of the news shows, curating their own news feed.
Answer these questions to build your News Hound playlist:
- What’s happening right now?
- What’s essential for people to know today?
- Where have you turned for unexpected sources of insight, analysis, or offbeat news?
The Specialist
Are you obsessed with radio drama and fiction? Learning everything you can about basketball, Middle Eastern history, or building a crafting business? Exploring religion and spirituality or neuroscience?
Then you’re a Specialist, and you’re the ideal curator for a niche playlist.
Add these episodes to your Specialist playlist:
- A show that’s illuminating your area of interest
- An episode that taught you something new
- A show that inspired you to do a deeper dive
- An episode that left you with more questions than answers
Bonus: use tags to categorize the information you’re finding.
The Life Coach
You want to help people live their best life. (And you want to live yours, too.) Thankfully, podcasts are here to share insightful conversations, hard-won wisdom, and life-changing decluttering strategies.
Optimize your Life Coach playlist with:
- An episode that gave you an a-ha moment
- A show that changed the way you think (along with a comment about how you’re applying what you learned)
- Insightful interviews with people who inspire you
- The life hack you swear by
- Audio meditations and/or wisdom talks
The Pop Culture SuperFan
Always in the know about celebrity and entertainment news, you’re the one your friends turn to when they’re trying to make sense of the latest feud, romance, or WestWorld story arc.
Your podcast queue probably contains a few TV recap shows, a little highbrow pop culture commentary, celeb-on-celeb interviews, and a dash of straight-up gossip.
Build your Pop Culture SuperFan playlist with:
- The latest episode of your favourite TV recap show
- The best examples you know of celebrity-hosted podcasts
- Your favourite source of pop culture commentary
- An interview that surprised you with its honesty and openness
- A comedy episode that made you LOL in public
The Generalist
Of course, you don’t need to pick a lane with your playlist – just as some of the most interesting Twitter feeds showcase a wide range of interests, so do many of our favourite playlists.
If your “recently played” list is best described as “eclectic,” you’re probably a Generalist, and you’re the perfect person to introduce listeners to new and unexpected stuff.
Add these episodes to your Generalist playlist:
- A new show you’re sampling
- The first podcast you ever listened to
- An episode from your favourite show that you’re excited to share
- A show that’s under the radar but deserves to be heard by more people
The Archivist
You and I both know that newer doesn’t always mean better. There’s a lot of wonderful audio deep in the vaults that deserves to be rediscovered. And you’re just the person to shine a light into those vaults and make sure their contents aren’t forgotten.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to create a timeless playlist that highlights great episodes for posterity. (And for bonus points, tag your finds to organize and catalogue them.)
Curate your Archivist playlist with:
- Lesser-known, older episodes from long-running shows
- “Now & then” pairings: match up a recent episode with a relevant older one – perhaps another interview with the same guest, or a different perspective on a theme
- Classic radio drama and fiction
- “Before they were famous” episodes, showcasing earlier work from hosts and producers who went on to great things
Whatever your playlist personality (and whatever you choose to put on your playlist), we’re excited to see what kind of playlist you create. When you’ve started building yours, let us know on Twitter or Facebook — and your podcast playlist could be featured on RadioPublic.
